Small Town News

Hunters drown in river

Two hunters drowned in a boating accident early last Saturday morning on the White River while out hunting ducks.

Eight hunters and guides were in the boat when it took on water and submerged in the White River south of Maddox Bay. Six of the hunters survived the accident; Rodney Roberts and Matthew Miller drowned in the incident.

Roberts, 39, of Pontotoc, MS, was a self-employed TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) contractor. Miller, 25, was pastor of Propst Memorial United Methodist Church in Millport, AL, and a student at Memphis Theological Seminary.

Monroe County Sheriff's Department deputies and wildlife officers from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are continuing the investigation. They did not release the names of the other men in the boat.

A source told the DeWitt Era-Enterprise Tuesday that the boat was recovered Sunday and sent to the Arkansas State Police crime lab. A boating accident reconstruction team was on the site Monday. The investigators did not release any more information, citing the ongoing investigation.

Copyright 2010 DeWitt Era-Enterprise, DeWitt, Arkansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

Original Publication Date: January 21, 2010

Copyright: Copyright 2010 DeWitt Era-Enterprise, DeWitt, Arkansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.